Air purifier



Dec. 29, 1936.

w. c. HARTZELL AIR PURIFIER Filed Dec. 28, 19:55 2 Sheets-Sheet '1 D 29, 1936. w. c. HARTZELL 2,065,970

AIR PURIFIER I Filed Dec. 28', 1935 Y 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Dec. 29, 1936 UNITED STATES amrumnria;

William O. HartzelL Union Beach, N. J. Application December 28, 1935, Serial No. 56,559

9 Claims. (01. 183-35) This invention relates to a mechanical air purifier and has for an object to provide an improved means for mechanically purifying the air in a room or enclosedspace and at the same time for causing a circulation of the air.

A further object of this invention is to provide a device for removing silica, dust, lint, pollen, bacteria or other harmful impurities from the atmosphere or air especially when used in occupational places such as oflices, hospitals, residences, trains, busses as well as underground in mining operations and the like.

Yet a further object of the invention is to provide an air purifier that is portable, inexpensive to operate and comparatively inexpensive to manufacture and assemble.

An additional object of this invention is to provide an air purifier that will cut down such occupational diseases as silicosis or miners consumption or other diseases caused by the presence of harmful mining or manufactured debris entering the atmosphere during the mining or manufacturing process.

As an additional feature this invention-comprises a small portable unit including a pair of twin propellers operated by a single motor the first of which propellers will turn to suck air through a comparatively coarse purifier and the secondof which will then flow this partially purified air through a comparatively fine purifier. The purifying element is so shaped and supported as to provide a large area of cleaning surface.

With the foregoing and other objects in view comprises a construction, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter set forth, disclosed and shown on the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings: Figure l is a vertical sectional view of the air purifier of this invention.

Fig. 2 is an elevational view of one of the purl fier'elements.

Fig. 3 is an elevational view of one of the puri- 45 fier elements wire supports, and

of the wire supports,

There is shown at H! the air purifier of this 50 invention. This air purifier lfl'includes a housing ll mounted on a plurality of telescopically adjustable legs l2 and I3, the legs l2 and 13 being supported .in extensions I4 and I5 and held fixed -re1ative thereto by means of set screws [5 and i1, 55 so that both the elevation and angle of the housas will hereafter become apparent, this invention ,Fig. 4 is an enlarged view on line H of Fig. 2 showing one of the spring supports forming part ing ll may beadjusted'as desired. --Additional brace members l8 may be provided to reinforce the legsas necessary, it being observed that the legs I2 and I3 are each provided in pairs or in greater numbers asmay benecessary.

Supported within the housing II by means of rods I9 is an electric motor having a motor shaft 21 extending through both ends thereof. Fastened to each end of the motor shaft 2| is an airplane type propeller 22, the tips 23of the propeller 22 extending into circumferential grooves 24 for the length of the propellers 22 is slightl: larger than the diameter of the housing I I. As the motor 20 is operated from anysuitable source of electricity, the propellers are rotated so as to draw air in the direction of the arrows 25 through the air purifier housing I I. The housing H is in the form of an open-ended cylinder. An air puri-' fying element such as shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 4 is mounted at. each end of the cylindrical housing II. The air purifier elements 26 and 21 are substantially identical in construction except for the back as the purifier element 21 is somewhat finer than the elements 26, so that the elements 26 .willtake out the coarse particles while the elements 21 will take the finer particles, bacteria, germs and the like from the air as it passes there through.

Each of the elements 26 and 21 are honey-- combed in shape as shown and are provided with a'plurality of cells 28. A wire grid 231s provided as a support for each of the purifier elements 26 and 21. The wire grid 29 with its purifier ele ments is detachably mounted in the cylinder so that it maybe removed for cleaning purposes whenever necessary. The wire grid 29 consists of a wire ring 30 to which are secured a plurality of criss-crossing wires 3| and 32. Secured to the grid, are a plurality of conical-shaped springs 33, the springs 33 corresponding in number to the number of the cells 28 formed in the honeycomb air purifier element so that as shown in Fig. 4, as well as in Fig. 1, a spring 33 extends between each of the cone-shaped honeycomb cells 28 and thus serves to support and reinforce the purifying elements 26 and 21.

As will be seen from the drawings, the purifier elements 26 and 21 are disc shaped in form with the-frusto-cone shaped cells or cups, extending therefrom in the direction of the airflow. The

discs are suflicientlystiff to support and hold these against the inside of the ends of the hous- -ing. When there is no pressure of air flowing through the housing the springs 33 do not exert anypressure against the air purifier disc but when there is pressure of air fiowing therefrom the springs 33 yieldably resist the tendency of the disc to belly in the direction of airflow and thus hold them in proper operative position.

Grease nipples 34 are connected by conduits 35 to the motor shaft bearings so that the same may be lubricated when necessary without disassembling the purifier IIJ.

In operation the purifying elements 26 and 21 are supported against the wire springs 33 and the wire grid 29 and mounted at each end of the housing II, as shown in Fig. 1. Thepurifying elements 26 and 21 will be made of porous rubber, spun glass or any other suitable or well known material which will serve .the purpose of removing impurities from the air as it is passed therethrough. The elements 21 will be made of a finer mesh or density than that of the elements 26, so. that the air as it passes through the elements 26 will first have the coarser particles of lint, dust and debris removed therefrom and then as it is drawn by the propellers 22 on through-the housing it will be forced against the purifier elements 21 to remove the finer particles therefrom and thereby clean the air. The purifier l0 may be mounted in any suitable or convenient location. In the home it would preferably be mounted near an open window. In an occupational place it would preferably be mounted wherever there are dust creating conditions such as operating machinery, mining operations and the like. n

The novel features and the operationof this device will be apparent from the foregoing description. While the device has been shown in the structuredescribed in detail, it is obvious that this invention is not to be considered limited to the exact form disclosed and that changes may be made therein within the scope of the invention.

' Having thus set forth and disclosed the nature of this invention, what is claimed is:

1. An air purifier comprising an open-ended housing, an air purifier element mounted at one end of the housing, an air purifier element mounted at the other end of the housing, and means in said housing for sucking air through one of said air purifier elements and for forcing the air through. the other of said purifying ele ments, said means comprising a motor, a motor shaft extending therethrough longitudinally of the housing and apropeller mounted at each end of said motor shaft.

2. An air purifier comprising an open-ended housing, an air purifier element mounted at one end of the housing, an' air purifier element mounted at the other end of the housing, means in said housing for sucking air through one of said air purifier elements and for forcing the air through the other end of said purifying elements, said means comprising a motor, a motor shaft extending therethrough longitudinally of the.

housing'and a propeller mounted at each end of said motor shaft, the purifier elements through which the air is forced being of-a finer grade than the elements through which the air is sucked.

3. An air purifier comprising an open-ended cylindrical housing, -a purifier element mounted a at each end of said housing, a motor within said housing, a motor shaft extending through opposite ends of said motor, and an airplane type propeller mounted on each end of said motor other of said propellers serving to force air through the other of said purifier elements, the length'of said airplane type propellers being slightly greater than the average diameter of said cylindrical shaped housing, and grooves formed in said housing to receive the-tips of the propellers.

5. An air purifier comprising a housing, means for forcing air through said housing and a honeycomb shaped air purifier element mounted on said housing, said element being an integral disc having 'a plurality of frusto-cone shaped portions pressed therefrom and extending in the direction of the fiow of air.

- 6. An air purifier comprising a housing, means for forcing air through said housing and a honeycomb shaped air purifier element mounted on said housing, said element being an integral disc having a plurality of frusto-co'ne shaped 7 portions pressed therefrom and extending in the direction of the flow of air, and means for supporting said honeycomb shaped purifier element .in said housing.

7. An air purifier comprising a housing, means for forcing air through said, housing 'and a honeycomb shaped air purifier element mounted on said housing, means forgsupporting said honeycomb shaped purifier elenient in said housing, said supporting means comprising a wire grid and a plurality of cone-shaped springs mounted on said grid and resting against said purifier elements between the cells thereof.

8. Ari air purifier comprising a cylindrical shaped housing, means for supporting said housing, an electric motor supported within said housing, a shaft extending through the opposite ends of said motor, an airplane type propeller mounted on each end of said. shaft within said housing, circumferential grooves formed in said housing and receiving the airplane type propellers therein, a coarse grained purifier element mounted in said housing at one end thereof, and a fine-grained purifier element mounted in said housing at the other end-thereof.

9. An air purifier comprising a cylindrical shaped housing, means for supporting said housing, an .electric motor supported within. said housing, a shaft extending through the opposite ends of said motor, an airplane type propeller mounted on each end of said shaft within said housing, circumferential grooves formed in said housing and receiving the airplane type propellers therein, a coarse grained purifier element mounted in said housing at one end thereof, a

fine grained purifier element mounted in said I housing at the other end, thereof, each air purifier element including a honeycomb cell shaped disk,'a wire grid and a plurality of springs sup- 

